Steam iron with movable boiler



June 1950 n a DAFFORN EI'AL 2,512,054

STEAM IRON WITH MOVABLE BOILER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 26, 1946 June 20, 1950 2,512,054

K. a. DAFFORN s-rm.

s'mm mom wrm uovmu: BOILER Filed Sept. 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hvmlmszxeaneih E Dntfim cad Russell 1. Harm flibmayr Patented June 20, 1950 STEAM IRON WITH IOVABLE BOILER by none alignments, to Knapp-Monarch Company, at. Loch, lo a corporation of Delaware Application September 28, 1948, Serial N0. 399,494 6 Claims. (CI. 38-77) Our present invention relates to a steam iron wherein means is provided for stopping promptly the generation of steam wheneverdesired, whereupontheironmaybeused asadryiron.

One object of the invention is to provide a steam iron having a sole plate provided with a heating element, and a boiler in the steam iron provided with a second heating element, the boiler and the second heating element being relatively movable for quick cessation or commencement of the generation of steam when desired.

Another object is to provide a heating element for the boiler in a steam iron, either the heating element or the boiler being movable so that the heating element is either in engagement or out of engagement with the boiler as desired by the 1 user.

Aiurther object is to provide manually operabl'means for relatively moving the boiler and .heating element and locking them in a position of engagement or disengagement as desired.

Still a further object is to provide means for simultaneously deenergizing the boiler heating element as it and the boiler are relatively moved away from each other and for energizing the boiler heating element when they are moved relatively toward each other.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of our device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a steam iron embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through a modified form of steam iron, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view thereof on the line of Figure 3.

the casing may be supported on the sole plate as -by brackets l6 and IS. The lower ends of the brackets are attached to a heat insulating partition 28 provided for retaining the heat of a sole plate heating element 22 in the sole plate or to reflect the heat toward the surface being ironed.

Within the casing i2 we provide a. boiler 24 ble construction and provided with a boss 38 slidable on astationary stud 32 projecting upwardly i'rom the partition 20.

For sliding the heating element 28 on the stud 82. we provide a yoke 84 pivoted at 86 to the boss 30 and connected with a lever 88. The lever 8| is pivoted at 48 and has its rear end connected to an operating lever 42 which projects upwardly through a slot 44 of the casing l2. The operating lever has a manually engageable portion 48 of heat insulating material and is adapted to assume either the full line position or the dotted line position of Figure 1. In the full line position, the heating element 28 is held in good thermal-conducting relation to the bottom of the boiler 24 under the action of a spring 48.

The lever extension 46 may be manually engaged and lifted to the dotted position with a hook 50 of the lever 42 engaged on a lip 52 of the casing l2 when it is desired to lower the heating element 28 away from the bottom of boiler 24 thus stopping the generation of steam and permitting the iron to be used as a dry iron with the sole plate heated by the element 22 and no steam issuing from the steam discharge openings 54 in the bottom of the sole plate.

When it is desirable to generate steam, the heating element 28 can be lifted against the bottom of the boiler by effecting manual release at 58 and 52 and permitting the spring 48 to contract until the heating element is in the full line position as illustrated. Heat from the heating element will then be conducted to the water in the boiler 24 causing steam to form and rise to a steam dome 88 of the boiler from which it is discharged through a tube 58 to a, manifold passageway 68 in the sole plate. A plurality of steam discharge openings 54 in the sole plate l0 communicate with the manifold opening 68.

To economize on electric current and more effectually stop the generation of steam, the heating element 28 preferably has small heat storage capacity and the resistance element 62 within the heating element is preferably deenergized whenever the heating element is lowered. This can be automatically effected by providing a switch 64 operated by the lever 42 through a link connection 66 so that when the lever is down, the switch is closed and when the lever is up the switch is open.

In Figures 3 and 4, we show a modified construction wherein the parts corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 have the same reference numerals with the addition of the distinguishing characteristic a. In this instance, the heating element 28a is stationary with respect to the partition 28a and the boiler. 24a is movable. For instance, the boiler may be hung by means of pivot pins'86a and on levers 88a and links Ill. The levers are pivoted at 48a and Illa to brackets 40b and 18b. The arrangement is such that the boiler remains level but can be raised tothe full line of the invention has a flexible tube a which permits the necessary raising or lowering of the boiler yet maintains the steam connection between it and the manifold passageway "a in the sole plate Ifla.

In connection with this form of the invention, a switch a is also illustrated for effecting ener gization of the heating element 28s when the boiler is lowered and deenergization when the boiler is raised, thus providing for a minimum of time in which steam generation stops as a result of manually moving the lever extension 46a forwardly to the dotted position.

Both forms of invention contemplate relative movement between a boiler and a heating element so as to more quickly stop the generation of steam when such is desirable. This is important in many ironing operations to prevent over-steaming the fabric and when it is desirable to dry-iron finish the fabric after steaming.

Somechanges may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of our device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

We claim as our invention:

1. A steam iron structure comprising a sole plate having discharge ports, a heating element therefor, a boiler above said sole plate, a conduit from said boiler to said discharge ports to discharge steam from said sole plate, a second heating element above said sole plate and below said boiler, a switch for said second heating element, parallel arms having one of their ends pivotaily mounted with respect to said sole plate and their other ends pivotally connected with said boiler whereby it may be moved to either be spaced from said second heating element or to contact it to receive heat therefrom for generating steam in said boiler, and remain substantially parallel to said sole plate, and an operative connection from said parallel links to said switch to close the switch when said boiler is lowered and open the switch when said boiler is raised.

2. A steam iron structure comprising a sole plate, a heating element therefor, a boiler above said sole plate, a conduit from said boiler to said sole plate to discharge steam therefrom, a second heating element for said boiler above said first heating element, a housing for all the foregoing elements, a handle on said housing, and means for mounting said boiler and moving it into and out of engagement with said second heating element, said means comprising a lever pivotally mounted in respect to said sole plate, pivoted to said boiler to support and move it and having an operating portion extending from said housing and located adjacent the rear end of said handle.

3. A steam iron of the character disclosed comprising a sole plate, a heating element therefor, a second heating element above said sole plate, a boiler above said sole plate, a conduit connect. ingsaidboilerwithsaidsoleplatetodischargo steam from the sole plate, said boiler being adapted to be heated by said second heating element, means to support said boiler, said means being .movable to contact said boiler with said second 5 heating element to receive heat therefrom or to space the boiler from the second heating element as desired. a switch connected with said means for simultaneous movement therewith, said switch being thereby closed for energizing said second heating element when said boiler is receiving heat therefrom and opened for de-energizing it when the boiler is spaced therefrom.

4. A steam iron of the character disclosed comprising a sole plate having discharge ports, a heating element for said sole plate, a second heatingv element above said sole plate, a boiler above said second heating element, a flexible conduit from said boiler to said sole plate to furnish steam v to be discharged from said discharge ports thereof, said boiler being adapted to contact said second heating element to be heated thereby, means for movably mounting said boiler so thatit can in one position contact said second heating elefrom, and over-center spring means to retain said boiler in either of said positions.

5. A steam iron comprising a sole plate, a heating element above said sole plate, a boiler to be heated by said heating element, a steam connection from said boiler to said sole plate for supplying steam therethrough to the fabric being ironed, said boiler being movable relative to said heating element, a lever to selectively move said boiler into or out of engagement with said heating element, said lever having an operating end terminating back of the handle for said steam iron, and switch means mounted in said handle and connected with said lever for energizing said heating element when said boiler is engaged therewith and for deenergizing it when the boiler is out of engagement therewith.

6. A steam iron comprising a sole plate, a heating element above said sole plate. a boiler to be heated by said heating element, a steam connecas tion from said boiler to said sole plate for supplying steam therethrough to the fabric being ironed, said boiler being movable relative to said heating element, and means to selectively move said boiler into or out of engagement with said heating element comprising parallelogram arms for mounting said boiler, one end of each arm being pivotally mounted relative to said sole plate and the other end of each arm being pivoted to said boiler, a lever connected with said arms to 66 manually move them, and over-center spring means to retain said boiler in or out of enga ement with said heating element.

KENNETH B. DAFPORN. RUSSELL I. HUFFMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,145,977 Denhard July 13, 1915 1,157,731 Bprenger Oct. 28, 1915 1,649,508 Brewer Nov. 15. 192'! 7 1,876,098 Leprestre July 3, 1928 2,179,259 Jones Nov. 7,1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15 484,974 GreatBritain May 12, 1988 ment and in another position be spaced there- 

